1x12 – Drunk Caitlin insists Barry takes her to Harrison…
"Caitlin, I can't take you there," Barry was just saying, holding up what seemed to be a very drunk Caitlin Snow. He was quite amused with everything she'd been doing that night while intoxicated, but right now he started to become anxious. "It's not your home, is it?"
"Barry, damn it! For once do what you're told!" she screamed at him, pushing him away with surprising strength before stumbling backwards herself. He was by her side to hold her up again in no time.
"Caitlin, you're drunk and you don't know what you're doing. Just please, tell me where you live."
"I won't!" she said stubbornly when folding her arms over her chest and actually stamping her foot. "Take me to Harrison! I wanna go to Harrison!"
"No. We really shouldn't be interrupting the man's evening."
"Oh, come on! He's all alone and in a wheelchair. What's he gonna do?"
Barry scratched his head nervously when looking around, afraid that soon people would start looking at them with suspicion. He then retrieved his phone from his pocket and called Cisco. Who didn't pick up. Great, just great! He had no way of knowing where Caitlin lived if she refused to tell him and he didn't want to run her over to Joe's house, because… honestly, that would definitely be weird since his stepdad knew about Barry's feelings for Iris and could come up with a totally wrong idea and then relay that to his daughter and… Yeah, out of the question. There wasn't even room for Caitlin there.
Eventually, Barry sighed when taking the infuriating woman into his arms and whispering, "Hold on," to her before speeding off and placing her right in front of dr. Wells's house.
"Yay! Thanks, Barry! You're the best!" she immediately cooed.
"Yeah… I'm not sure how dr. Wells's gonna feel about this, so… bye!" he bid her and was gone in no time, at least sure that the big house would have more than one bedroom in which Wells could put Caitlin.
Needless to say, once Snow rang the doorbell and then rang it again for good measure and again, suddenly very interested in the button as she pushed it and pushed; the door finally opened, showing a very stunned Harrison Wells.
"Caitlin?" he asked in surprise and just then she finally stopped attacking the poor button.
"Harrison!" she called out happily and stepped inside without his invitation. "You know," she began, gesticulating widely when making her way to his living room; still shocked Wells following her suit in his wheelchair, "I was out with Barry and… Oh, no! Not like that!" she quickly explained before glancing at now very amused Harrison. "So, we were out having fun and I just thought, fuck it!" Harrison's eyebrows rode up once he actually heard her curse for the first time. Then again, alcohol did strange things to a person. "I'm moving on!" she continued, oblivious to his expression as she fell onto his couch. "We both need to find someone new to be crazy about, right? And you know what I realized just then?" She paused, looking at a smiling Wells who just stopped right by the couch.
"I don't know. Why don't you humor me, Caitlin?" he encouraged.
Only his smile faded away when she confessed, "I already find him! And it's you, mister!"
There was stunned silence during which Harrison could only stare at her incredulously, knowing that she was telling him the truth just because the alcohol stripped her of all inhibitions she might have, whereas she was smiling brightly at him.
"So we should fuck!" she decided then and reached to the back of her dress, trying to pull it up and over her head, though failing miserably since she was still sitting.
Harrison's eyes opened widely at her blatant suggestion, watching her hopeless struggle with the dress.
"All right, maybe I could just…" she then proceeded to pushing it up on her thighs to give him access in another way.
That finally caused him to snap out of his stupor and arrive as close to her as his wheelchair allowed him to. He placed his hands on hers and steadied her.
"Caitlin," he said her name slowly, searching for her eyes.
She finally did meet his gaze.
"Caitlin, please, stop," he told her and when he saw the falling expression on her face, he immediately corrected, his heart clenching that he might've just accidentally hurt her. "No, this isn't what I meant." He gave her hands a little squeeze and then started running his fingers over her skin. "Not like this, ok? You need to get some sleep and if you still want to, we can talk about this tomorrow."
She agreed to that surprisingly easy, but then again, she was already pretty tired, the energy surge the alcohol had caused already draining her.
"I'm sorry. You're right. We should do this properly. With a date, maybe. Or candles. Or dinner."
"All of that can be arranged," he chuckled when grabbing a blanket and putting it over her form as she already laid down on his couch. "For now, just sleep, ok?"
"Ok. I love you, Harrison," she still said before she drifted off, once again shocking him.
He was sitting there, watching her sleep for quite a while before he finally snapped himself out of it. He'd been holding back, yes. He'd been keeping her at distance, that was also correct. But he was doing all of those things because in his mind she always deserved better. She didn't deserve to be with a pariah. She didn't deserve her career to be destroyed. Yet, she always chose him. Always. Maybe that should have told him something already. Still, he wished a better life for her, a life that in his modest opinion, he couldn't give her.
Or maybe it didn't matter what he thought would be best for her. Maybe he should let her decide, he suddenly thought, finding himself in a pickle. She had the right to do just that and he had no right to take that decision away from her, did he now?
In the end, he retreated, heading to his own bedroom, letting her sleep. He did tell her that he loved her as well on his way out, though, not able to stop himself.
Caitlin woke up, accompanied by an awful headache. Added to that, she didn't recognize her bed. In fact, as she opened her eyes, she realized she was lying on a couch, covered with a blanket; a glass of water and some aspirin waiting for her on the table.
"Oh, God," she groaned as she slowly sat up, feeling her mouth parched; her hand going up to her head, it hurt so damn bad. She immediately reached for the water and gulped it all down, swallowing the aspirin.
"Oh, you're awake," she then heard a very familiar voice and she stilled, telling herself this was so not happening. "How are you feeling? Caitlin?"
Harrison Wells drove into the room in his wheelchair.
The moment she realized she was actually in his house, she vaguely remembered asking Barry to take her here.
The moment she finally dared look into the man's stunning blue eyes, she heard her own voice in her head telling him she should move on, that they should move on together and that…
"Oh, God!" she groaned again, closing her eyes and pressing the heels of her hands into them as though that could erase her behavior, her confession. "Harrison, I am so… so sorry," she squealed, not having the courage to look at him again.
"Don't be," he said to her astonishment. "It was… enlightening, actually."
She had to look at him then.
"What do you mean?" she asked shakily.
"I mean maybe you were right. Maybe we should stop… denying this thing between us. Unless you were simply delusional last night, in which case I withdraw what I just said," he added quickly.
"No!" she denied all too fast. "I mean… No, I wasn't and… really?" Headache aside, this seemed too good to be true. Had her drunken self actually managed to achieve what she'd been scared of for such a long time? And maybe she still was drunk, because normally she'd run away, avoiding the topic for another month or so and yet, here she was, bravely meeting his eyes and admitting she had feelings for him and that they should do something about it. Also, she was so terribly tired despite having just slept that maybe she was also too tired to be scared now.
Harrison seemed to notice that, because he suggested, "Why don't I call you a taxi and you can go back home, recharge, sleep in your own bed? Then, once you're rested and no longer hangover, we can pick this up again."
"I… What about work?" she asked stupidly, her head spinning from all the news.
"Well, technically, I'm still the boss, so feel free to take a day off," he told her with a smile.
"And…?" she prompted. "Harrison, what then?"
"What was it that you wanted? Candles? Date? Dinner? I could take you somewhere nice. Let me just make a reservation and if you're up to it tonight, we can go."
"Tonight? How are you going to find a free table at any of the good restaurants?"
"I'm still Harrison Wells and there are still people out there, owing me a favor."
"Right. Ok. So… I guess I'm gonna head home," she said, finally standing on her feet that, yet, felt like jelly.
"Need some coffee while you wait for the taxi?" he suggested, pointing in the direction of his kitchen.
"Sure. Why not?" She finally broke a smile, everything that had led up to this moment still being a little overwhelming. "Harrison?" She turned in the door, finding him following her.
"Yes?" he asked, stopping his chair.
"Why now? Why the sudden change? It couldn't be just because I showed up in your door, drunk."
He thought for a moment, taking off his glasses and looking ahead of himself before putting them back on and meeting her eyes. "Because you made me realize I have no right to take the choice away from you. I do think you deserve better, Caitlin," she was already opening her mouth when he held up a hand, "but I can't deny what I feel and if you feel the same, then we can try this. It's all up to you, really. It always should have been."
She made a step closer to him, really wanting to kiss him but realizing it wouldn't be a pleasant first kiss as she had drunk a lot the night before and still hadn't brushed her teeth; so instead she settled for taking his hand into hers and giving it a little squeeze. Yet, the simple touch seemed to burn her all the same.
"Thank you. And just so you know," she added on her way to his kitchen, "I already made my decision and you're not getting away that easily. I expect a date tonight."
He smiled when following suit.